During a visit to Kazan yesterday, Google Russia representative Vladimir Dolgov praised Tatarstan for its Internet penetration rates, which stand among the highest in Russia.
Having noticed the large quantity of schools with Internet connections and local WIFI hotspots, Dolgov said that Tatarstan “has all the necessary foundations for further development of Internet and online services,” reported Unova, a website specializing in innovation and venture activity in Russia
Among other possible forms of cooperation discussed during the visit, Dolgov offered to prepare a panoramic view of the sports infrastructure that will support Kazan’s Universiade Games in 2013.
Google chairman Eric Schmidt, who is expected to participate in the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum later this month, could also meet with Tatarstan president Rustam Minnikhanov.
Tatarstan, an autonomous republic of the Russian Federation, stands out as one of the country’s most economically developed regions. It is situated on the confluence of the Volga and Kama rivers, approximately 800 km east of Moscow. Kazan, a city of more than 1.1 million, is the regional capital.
While already known for its developed assets in the oil and petrochemical sector, in aircraft manufacture, instrument and mechanical engineering, Tatarstan has also developed ambitious high tech projects for the past few years.
In 2009, Cisco took part in the creation of IT-Park, which claims to be the biggest technopark in Eastern Europe. After IT-Park opened a business incubator last April, the regional authorities are now considering creating another one in Naberezhnye Chelny, Tatarstan’s second largest city.
Tatarstan has also been praised for its progress in e-government. For example, as reported in EWDN last month, couples wanting to marry can submit an application online to the registry office and parents can likewise apply online to place their child in a kindergarten.
In April a trade delegation of 25 leading European venture capital firms and top executives from major international technology corporations visited the 6th Kazan Venture Fair. This was the only regional event included in the delegation’s Russian program.
During a visit to Kazan just days ago, David Waroquier, Managing director at Mangrove Capital Partners, expressed interest in some of the projects at IT Park, reported local authorities. This Luxembourg based venture fund – an early investor in Skype – has already invested in a range of Russian startups.
